How easy is it for the Government to spend our money on a referendum we don't want, for what may be perceived as the whim of a Prime Minister wanting to leave a legacy of a new flag. No, Mr Key, we don't want a new flag. Our country has become a world player because of our founding fathers coming on those early colonial ships, with the vision of creating a better society than that which they were leaving. They came mostly from Great Britain (but not all), and New Zealand was proud to have those ties, both Maori and Pakeha, hence the Treaty of Waitangi between Maori and the Crown.
The $26 million is our money, therefore we should have a say as to how it is being spent if we think that it is not being spent wisely. We ask you to call it a day now, as we consider that there is insufficient money to have this free-for-all. If we believed that the money was surplus and freely available, then we would be calling for Government to allocate it to areas with a more pressing need, such as raising families from the poverty line and ensuring that citizens have housing in areas where they need to work.
However, in a country that has had to sell assets to balance its budget, this unnecessary expenditure resembles the action of a profligate or a wastrel, not the action of those who deem themselves qualified to manage our country's finances.
It would seem our Prime Minister considers an unwanted flag-change to be of far more importance than the basic needs of those whom he was elected to represent.
Otamatea Grey Power Assn Inc
(Beverley Aldridge president)
